Milwaukee Night Race Looks Like A Go

[chop456]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/race/jan03/107703.asp

"Meanwhile, moving the Mile's CART date from Sunday afternoon to Saturday night has received the green light, making the track the first to hold a champ-car race under the lights.

CART president Chris Pook floated the idea last fall with the hope that novelty might catch the interest of potential ticket-buyers. An official announcement from the sanctioning body regarding night races at both the Mile and Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport is expected next week.

Melvin had toyed with keeping the rented lights on site to run the Craftsman Truck Series race on a Saturday night, but he now says that plan is all but dead."

[Don Quixote]

Would there be a curfew in effect by such time the race must be over? How would this affect decisions re: rain delays? I actually am all for trying a night race or two. Sure beats blistering in the sun. It seems like a boost in TV ratings would also be likely.

[damiandoan]

Rain date? Sunday afternoon, no? Looks like i might need to find a way to get to Milwaukee. :)

What about Cleveland?

DD

[DaveL]

What will really attract fans to The Mile is new grandstands that allow you to see more than transporters, role bars and rear wings.

[Mike Kellner]

I am not nuts about the idea. I live in Madison, and before that a suburb of Milwaukee. I remember more cold Rex Mays than hot ones. The first week of June in Wisconsin there is a tiny but real chance of a snow out for a race. (The record late snow is early June) Night time temps are 15 - 20 degrees colder than day. I just looked at last year's weather for Milwaukee. Late May - early June, half the nights were below 50°F (10°C), with a few in the 38° - 40°F range (3° - 4°C). More than once I have frozen while watching the race. The time for a night race is during State Fair week,which is a historic ChampCar date.

[chop456]

Very true. Probably 4 of the last 6 Memorial Days here have been cold and rainy. This year was beautiful.

Mid-August would be great, but at this point I'll take what I can get.

[RaceGrrl]

Regarding Cleveland: even in July the weather at Burke has been bizarre; the Lake effect, I suppose. I'm not a big fan of the idea of a night race in Cleveland because I'm not keen on using gimmicks to promote the series. But... CART needs to do what it can to draw attention to itself, and if a night race will help, then I'm on board. For now.

[Mike Kellner]

Here's my take on it. The June date is part of the past, when the Rex Mays was run after the Indy 500. Now that The 500 is passé and CART has no connection with the Hulman Empire, why hold the race in June? State Fair is a huge event and will bring in many of the dreaded event fans. Hot summer night, brats & beer, watching real racing under the lights. It would be great.

Õ«

[chop456]

Now you're talkin'.

[oddlycalm]

Night races are a nice alternatives during too-hot weather, they are not something that will enhance cool or wet weather. CART certainly needs to take into consideration local prevailing weather conditions, a factor that seems to have been periodically overlooked the past couple years. We don't need more self-iflicted wounds.

[Railbird]

I agree that August would be better. Having said that though I must say that not only do I own long underware, I look fairly dashing in them....;)

I'm in for Milwaukee and Cleveland both regardless of the time of day and an early drive home Sunday morning would keep my moral compass a little happier.

[Warlock!]

Originally posted by Railbird
... my moral compass...
The needle on mine fell off several years ago. The wife keeps tryin' to talk me into a moral GPS :rolleyes:

Yup. Night or day, I'm there for both of 'em.

Winter Warlock!

[damiandoan]

Originally posted by Mike Kellner
Here's my take on it. The June date is part of the past, when the Rex Mays was run after the Indy 500. Now that The 500 is passé and CART has no connection with the Hulman Empire, why hold the race in June? State Fair is a huge event and will bring in many of the dreaded event fans. Hot summer night, brats & beer, watching real racing under the lights. It would be great.

Õ«

The only reason to keep the early June date is to deprive it from TG. Should it be done? http://bobcrews.homestead.com/files/dunno.gif , But...

I agree the State Fair Weekend would be much better for a night time affair.

DD

[Hink]

The only thing about August is that it seems to rain hard out there. Good old Midwest downpour style where if you're caught in it for 15 minutes you're as wet as if you jumped in a lake.

Not sure if the weather figures back me on this, but that's the way it seemed. It's definitely warmer than early June.

[RichK]

What about bugs? Don't you guys have like 2 billion bugs per cubic inch when the lights come on at a baseball stadium?

[Mike Kellner]

You are more likely to have a severe thunderstorm in June than August. I didn't know our t-storms were worse than elsewhere. The big ones can dump 2 inches of rain in 20 minutes, hail an inch deep, and produce 70 mph straight line winds, and often contain tornadoes. It's no worse than anywhere else in the midwest. August is usually a drought, with 95 days/75 nights, and light fog at sunrise because it's so humid.

The bugs all will hang out by the lights. Except for the giant mosquitoes.

[Hink]

Compared to the Seattle perpetual drip the Midwest T-Storm is a big event.

All in all the Night Race sounds like a good idea, but you're right in that early June may not be so warm.

[WickerBill]

I don't think I like this idea. I can't pinpoint why. Lots of competition for the fan on a Saturday night, potential freezing cold weather, horrible TV ratings... I don't see many positives.

WB

[Lizzerd]

I think you might see better TV ratings on Saturday night than Sunday afternoon. I don't know how that other series does with theirs, though. Does anybody know who gets the broadcast? The first week of June is when spring is in full force. Seems a lot of people who would be casual fans would be tending the garden or something like that.

What the heck do I know, anyway?

I'll watch it when ever it is, unless I decide to go at the last minute.

[RacinM3]

What about tire temps? Is it even safe to try to run this race if it might be that cold? This sounds like a black eye waiting to happen.

[rocket]

I agree with the fact that it could be a little chilly. I don't get the way the weather works up there. About 4 or 5 years ago, I remember temps in the 90's for the race. The last few years though have sucked. I suppose if the worst case happens, we can all crash at chop456's house and drive back up for the race on sun.

I'm still waiting for my renewal chop, I'll let you know when I get it.

[chop456]

Originally posted by rocket
I suppose if the worst case happens, we can all crash at chop456's house and drive back up for the race on sun.

I'm still waiting for my renewal chop, I'll let you know when I get it.

No problem. :D

I've always wondered what the deal is with camping up there. I always see the campers out between the track and the I-94 parking lot. I don't think it's for drivers' families etc., only.

I'm trying to scam a parking space from my son's speech therapist. She lives about a block from State Fair Park. Maybe we could all pitch tents in her back yard and be even closer. ;)

[devilmaster]

Originally posted by Lizzerd
I think you might see better TV ratings on Saturday night than Sunday afternoon. I don't know how that other series does with theirs, though. Does anybody know who gets the broadcast?

Liz,

Its almost guaranteed that a night race will be on SPEED. Any IRL race at night goes espn or more likely espn2(:laugh: ). Even NASCAR usually gets shuffled to FX or TNT when its a night race, unless its a big holiday race or the like.

The major networks all have an aversion to put sports on a saturday night, unless CART can convince CBS or FOX to show the race (read: pay big). Unless they could convince that the race will become a standard summer event, I can't see it happening.

Steve

[pchall]

Originally posted by Mike Kellner

The bugs all will hang out by the lights. Except for the giant mosquitoes.

Those aren't giant mosquitoes, those are Wisconsin ANG KC-135 tankers on night time refueling exercises.

:p

[JSR]

Night races are :cool: !

[TrueBrit]

I have always thought that a night race for CART was a sure-fire winner..In fact, if memory serves I thought that the second year at CMS was supposed to be a night race?? Perhaps it got shot down by the Cicero Mayor 'cos she her palm hadn't been greased enough....:D

Cheers!! Pip!! Pip!!

TrueBrit

[pchall]

Hey, WI fans are tough.

If they can watch the Pack suck at 29 degrees they can watch a champcar race when it is in the 50s. Of course, lots of cheap Miller would help...

[TrueBrit]

Originally posted by pchall
Hey, WI fans are tough.

If they can watch the Pack suck at 29 degrees they can watch a champcar race when it is in the 50s. Of course, lots of cheap Miller would help...


There's a different kind of Miller??;)

[Railbird]

I was always told that the cheeseheads didn't take their long underwear off before the fourth of July anyway.

Besides, as "Saturday night" cheesy as night racing seems, the visual effect will be fantastic.

Just don't bank on a TV audience.

[RTKar]

I grew up attending two races a year at the Mile. Bringing back a race during the state fair would be outstanding and may pique the curiosity of NASCAR or non-race fans. One of my great fears is CART losing the Mile to the irl and doing just that....having a race during the state fair.

[KobySon]

It's already difficult for the drivers to judge distances for breaking points in Cleveland. Would the lights make it harder or easier?

[Napoleon]

I think it would be a lot harder to judge braking points, especially if you throw a little rain or mist into the mix.

[RacinM3]

I guarantee it would be harder, Cleveland is featureless enough as it is. The drivers need landmarks to judges brake points....anything they use there would be harder to see, regardless of lighting.

[damiandoan]

The proper placement of a few reflective devices, actually could make it easier. Edge lighting outlining the track could be done using cheap rope Christmas lights. They have blue, red and green. Seems silly and cheap, but it could work.

The tops of all walls would be lined with red, the edge of the track (not in run-off areas) could be lined with blue, like on the inside of the corners & straight sections. Where normally there would be braking signs, 400,300,200,100 they could use small signal lights, 4 bulbs = 400, 3 = 300, etc.

Use your imagination. This could easily work.

DD

[damiandoan]

Here, check out this link about the lights I am talking about.

FLEX ROPE LIGHTING (http://www.santaslites.com/ropelight.htm)

DD

[RacinM3]

Didn't think of that. Might actually make it easier than racing during the day there......

[KobySon]

Originally posted by damiandoan
Here, check out this link about the lights I am talking about.

FLEX ROPE LIGHTING (http://www.santaslites.com/ropelight.htm)

DD

I helped put some of this "rope" down around a friend's bar. Made it look like a strip club straight away!!!

[JoeBob]

I'd think that any lighting system would make it seem remarkably close to daylight on the track.